


I'm Fine

by katebishoop



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: (on an account since deleted), Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Mission Fic, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, broken ankles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-07
Updated: 2015-07-07
Packaged: 2018-04-08 05:01:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4291677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katebishoop/pseuds/katebishoop
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I’m fine.”</p><p>“I’m pretty sure that ‘broken ankle’ is not listed in the definition of fine.”</p><p>“It is not-OW!”</p><p>“That sounds broken to me.”</p><p>“Shut up.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'm Fine

“I’m fine.”

“I’m pretty sure that 'broken ankle’ is not listed in the definition of _fine_.”

“It is not _-OW!”_

“That sounds broken to me.”

“Shut up.”

“Why when there is so much to discuss?” Robin said reaching in his utility belt and pulling out a bow-staff and a grappling hook.

“What are you-?”

“Fixing your ankle,” Robin said, “what does it look like I’m doing?”

Artemis looked closely at what the young boy was doing. He activated the bow staff and lined it up with her leg. He ejected the grappling hook down at the floor and began to tightly wind it around her leg - extra at the ankle, and not as much as it moved up her leg.

“Hey!” She said as his hands were scarcely close to certain areas.

Robin snickered, “at least it’s not Wally.”

Artemis did a double take, then smiled. Thank god it _wasn’t_ Wally.

He pulled on the cord to tighten it and tied the two ends together, completing his makeshift splint.

“This will do until they come and get us,” he said dusting his hands off and standing up.

“How did you learn to do this?” Artemis asked, examining her splint.

Robin sighed, “It comes in handy to know how to fix your own injures.”

Artemis’ eyes narrowed. There was something in his tone, the way he said that and the way he was acting…was off. He seemed distracted, distant, short tempered…

He leaned against the wall of the small shed that contained the stair case that led into the warehouse. His arms were tightly crossed across his chest and his foot tapped impatiently.

This wasn’t like Robin.

Artemis opened her mouth to speak but Robin beat her to it.

“ _What_ were you thinking?” he asked, clearly annoyed, “You gave away our position, nearly got us _both_ killed, and jeopardized the entire mission!”

Artemis gaped at him. He was telling her off for early engagement? _Robin_ , of all people, was telling _her_ off. He did that on every freaking mission, she did it once _\- once_ \- because of…

“ _Excuse_ me?” she asked, but did not a chance to continue.

“We did what we were assigned!” Robin said angrily, “get a name, get a face, survey the boat. We did that and got some other information as well. Everything was going according to plan! Until _you_ messed it up!”

Robin slammed his fist against the wall; he didn’t even flinch at the faint cracking sound that echoed when his knuckles collided with the bricks. He didn’t even notice. He didn’t even care.

“The entire mission is ruined!” Robin said tugging at his hair, “Aqualad and Miss Martian, and Superboy and Kid Flash did their parts. We did part of ours - but you _screwed it up!”_

What the _hell_ was wrong with him? Where was the playful, goofy, immature teen that always caused missions to get out of hand? This wasn’t like Robin at all… Well, the Robin she knew anyway.

“Hey…” Artemis said trying to calm him down, but it didn’t work.

“You know how much trouble _I_ \- the team will be in? Batman will be-”

“So that’s what this is all about,” Artemis murmured, “You’re talk with Batman before he briefed us…”

Robin froze, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh _please,”_ Artemis scoffed, clutching onto the metal railing, “you’re short tempered, angry, _far_ too serious and are playing an intense round of the blame game.”

Robin didn’t respond, he tried to completely shut down himself to her. He looked away and turned his body against the wall, so he was completely blocking her out. His body visibly tensed and she wondered what expression was on his troubled face.

“I get it…” Artemis lurked as she tried to pull herself up into a standing position. That soon prove impossible to do alone, “I know it’s hard… trying to please people…”

She did know what he was going through. She recalled all the times when she was younger, when she actually felt bad when her fath- Sportsmaster was disappointed in her. Looking back now, she felt so naïve - so stupid, so _ashamed -_ for ever wanted his praise.

She was vague with her words, because she - unlike Superboy - didn’t have superhearing, and no way of knowing what Batman had exactly said to make the usually cheerful Boy Wonder into an acrobat of angst.

“I…” Robin said quietly, not turning around to face her, “he expects so much… I’m not ready…”

“Ready?” Artemis repeated, “I have no idea what you’re talking about but you’re the most experienced out of all us. If you were to add up the rest of the teams experience it doesn’t match yours.”

Robin sighed and turned his he’s enough for Artemis to see the edge of his mask, “Exactly…” he said, “he wants me to step up already, to grow up, mature. I… I may be a vigilante, and I may be the best _sidekick_ , but I still got a lot to learn… I’m still a kid…”

_Wow…_

_He_ had a lot to learn? He didn’t have superpowers and has been doing this gig for over four years and he still has a lot to learn? _Great,_ she would be at it for probably twice as long before she’s ready.

“Step up for what?” Artemis asked.

Robin gave a light, but not happy chuckle, “That’s right, you weren’t with us on Santa Prisca,” Robin said, “When we picked a leader.”

No one ever told her…

“No leadership was assigned, we had to figure it out amongst ourselves,” Robin explained, “Wally tried to lead - I don’t think that needs elaborating. I tried to lead too, but my training with Batman got in the way.” his body relaxed as he shifted positions so that his body was against the wall again, “Working with Batman for so long, we’ve come to anticipate each other’s movements. We can look each other in the eye and know what the other will do,” Robin elaborated, “I forgot the team is _not_ Batman.”

Artemis felt a strange sense of longing. The team had been together for about two months, then she barged in. She wanted to know what they were like before their deep bond had been formed, before they acted like team.

“Well to make a long story short, when we finally stopped to pick a leader, Aqualad was chosen, for being so calm and level headed - and being the oldest helped a lot too. But,” Robin paused, wondering how to word it, “he didn’t _want_ it.”

“He didn’t want to be leader?” Artemis asked, strangely now she found herself going back to her childhood bedtime stories. After every sentence, she could not help but ask a question that would just be answered if she stopped and listened.

“He said that he felt that I was _'born to lead the team’,”_ Robin said it with a hint of resentment in his voice, “he said that he would carry the burden until I was ready to take over.” Robin took a deep breath, “Batman wasn’t happy.” Robin turned back to face her, and at the sight of her confused expression decided to continue, “Don’t get me wrong, Aqualad is capable, and Batman knows it,” Robin sighed again, “Bat’s has trust issues. Aqualad has six months of experience when the team formed. I had four years. He wasn’t thrilled about forming the team, so he would at least like someone he trusts running it.”

Strangely, Artemis completely understood where he was coming from with this. But what was even more strange was him opening up to her like this, yet even this was just grazing the surface of what bothered him.

“Are you ok?”

Robin tensed, as if he realized what he was doing, “I’m fine.”

Artemis rolled her eyes, “Now that is complete _bullsh-”_

“Why did you do it?” he asked, cutting her off again - which was seriously getting on her nerves - but this time he was much calmer.

“Do what?” She asked.

“Why did you engage?”

“I…” Artemis began, well that’s just it, she didn’t know how to begin.

She engaged because she could not contain her rage any longer. Seeing her f- _that_ mercenary standing cockily there, knowing that soon he would heartlessly murder hundreds of people. She needed to engage. So that’s want she did. But she could not tell Robin - or anyone for that matter - that. It would compromise her identity; it would falter the team’s trust in her and in the league that lied for her. She felt guilty for having to lie, especially when he was being so honest with her…

Robin stared at intently, like he already knew the answer - the _right_ one. He could tell that whatever she was about to say was a lie, he seemed to completely understand her motives, but not the connection.

“My-”

“Hey!” a voice called from above, and the two humans looked up to see the head of a scorched speedster coming out of the small latch of the currently invisible bio-ship. “Need a lift?”

The two obliged and Kid Flash sent down a cord for Artemis. As Robin was hooking it up to Artemis’ belt, Kid leaned out of the ship again.

“So Rob, why did you-?”

“It _wasn’t_ him, Kid Mouth,” Artemis said grumpily as Robin tugged the cord to make sure it was stable.

Kid raised an eyebrow, “It was you?” He looked at Robin who was climbing the cord up to the ship, and Robin nodded at Artemis’ comment, “ _Why?”_

Artemis felt her cheeks redden, but thankfully Robin answered for her.

“Her finger slipped,” he replied with a smile as he pushed the button that caused the cord to pull her up into the ship.

Artemis shared the smile.

_Yeah…_

Her finger had just…slipped…

**Author's Note:**

> (Originally posted: 4/8/11 on FFnet, has since been edited)
> 
> come hang out over on [tumblr](http://bellakeyblake.tumblr.com)!


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